STEPHEN KING | T.H.E. CAT WRITING TIPS
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t.h.e. Cat is an avid reader. He has a favorite spot on my bookshelf right between Alistair McLean and Louise Penny. And though he doesn't care for Stephen King's writing, Georgie, AKA the Creamsicle Menace, agrees with King wholeheartedly on this point:
Read more, read lots, read often
"The real importance of reading is that it creates an ease and intimacy with the process of writing… Constant reading will pull you into a place where you can write eagerly and without self-consciousness. It also offers you a constantly growing knowledge of what has been done and what hasn't, what is trite and what is fresh, what works and what just lies there dying (or dead) on the page. The more you read, the less apt you are to make a fool of yourself with your pen or word processor." — Stephen King, "On Writing"
Reading a lot can seem a daunting task when you're trying to chunk out the words yourself.
Like t.h.e. Cat, I am an avid reader. While growing up, we were allowed to read any book which came into the house. So, I read everything from my dad's theoretical electronics texts to the Reader's Digest Condensed tomes we received every month. And one book with a blank cover I discovered by accident the only time my dad forgot to lock his briefcase. I'm sure it must have been quite naughty, had I understood it. Sigh.
When I started writing, I used to worry I would sound too much like my current favorite author, or borrow plots without being aware of it. And this can happen when we 're starting out. But we get past it with practice.
And you can't patent a plot.
But I can tell you from experience, there are few things as as refreshing as a reading break.
It gives your brain a breather — your subconscious has a chance to gnaw on your ideas in the background, away from your busy finger trying to lay down words when you're not exactly sure what you're saying.
Though it doesn't deter some of us from limping along for days until we finally call a halt and give our creative processes a much needed break. And reading other genres, exploring new writers' works, as King says, helps us stay fresh in our own writing.
Right now, t.h.e. Cat is exploring a new author whose book I purchased the other day. Okay, he's sleeping on it. But I'm sure he's absorbing every word in his own furry-little-cat way.
So, as Shakespeare almost once said, "Read on MacDuff —"
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